It sold 575,000 copies of the DVD on its first day of release, and 660,000 by the end of Tuesday, more than double The Hangover Part 2 managed in its first week.

HMV said it expected combined DVD and Blu-ray sales to top 1m by the end of the week.

The high street retailer said if the sales pattern continued in the run-up to Christmas, it would become the biggest-ever film comedy release in DVD history. HMV has also sold more than a 250,000 Inbetweeners box sets.

HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said: "We're seeing record sales of the Inbetweeners Movie, which is shaping up to become our biggest-ever week-one release on DVD and Blu-ray.

"We've always done really well with the TV series – particularly among its core audience of teens and young adult males, but with the movie coming so close to Christmas we're also seeing huge demand from gift shoppers right now."

The DVD and Blu-Ray launch was backed by a major advertising campaign which included a TV ad in the X Factor final on Sunday, national newspaper adverts and an outdoor advertising push.

Target Media, the entertainment media agency which has worked on the launch, said that the aim is to "transition the TV fanbase as well as broadening [its appeal] to a new audience who can help to push this all the way to a Christmas number one".

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